Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I did it to myself again tonight. I bought 9 heavy steel locker units from an on line auction. They are beautiful but will involve a bunch of lifting and tugging to get them on my trailer and to the shop.

I also bought a pallet filled with 12 vintage stage lights. I guess that I will be making industrial lamps this winter.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The weather's getting colder and many of the denizens of the Great White North are headed south for their winter vacation. The lake that I live on is deep and usually remains open well into December. This means that many of the birds headed south congregate on the lake. My favorites are the swans. They feed right off my shore and are probably less than 50 feet from my office. Right now there are about 100 swans, hundreds of geese and ducks and a couple of Artic loons right outside my door. The swans are fearless in their element. Babe will charge to the shore barking. The swans will slowly paddle another 2-3 into the lake and honk at Babe. Babe, who has learned that trying to swim after them is a losing proposition, walks away and the swans paddle back the 2-3 feet that they given up.

The photo was taken from my office door. Sunny, but cold here on the tundra. And the swans are wonderful to watch.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

It was a tough weekend for me. I spent most of the day both Saturday and Sunday getting my space ready for the November 2013 sale at Second Hand Rose in Buffalo, Minnesota. The other dealers have their spaces in their usual spectacular holiday order. And as usual my space has the hogs lined up from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. I have one of the most diverse presentations ever. There is the strange, the unusual, the one of a kind and even a great big "what the hell is it".

I have 5 blow mold Christmas candles, four lamps that I assembled myself, 3 vintage Christmas tree stands, 2 cream can top urns and a heavy steel horse sign.

A hundred year old buffalo head mount.

A steel double sided Appaloosa Horses sign

illuminated by a homemade spotlight on a steel stand.

A cello in front of a steel ledger desk and

next to a table that I made.

Maple top work bench with a tray full of deer

antlers and other cool things.

The "tree" on the slab top table is a US Forest

Service message board from 1937.

This great old green cased clock is atop

two coffee tables and under two end tables.

Cast iron pot belly stove topper will make a great

center piece on a holiday table.

Four cast iron stands painted blue, pink,
yellow and white a long time ago.

5 vintage blow mold Christmas candles next to

2 big school roll up maps.

Another great old wall clock atop a milk/butter mixing calculator.

Leather suitcase.

Everything is ready for the sale. So I can do some real work this week.

I’m a guy who has somehow fallen into the shabby world. A shabby chic world of shabotaged furniture and foo foo accessories. My stuff tends to be outside of the cottage without much chic, shabby or otherwise. My things are the hogs in this world of roses. Thus the title: Hogs and Roses. (Please look at my 1st post "Why Hogs and Roses?")

This is Mr. Flannery

I want to be Henny Youngman, when I grow up. Take my wife -- please!
I enjoyed 7 years of marital bliss (17 years of marriage). I have been divorced forever. Love my role as curmudgeon, comedian, sage and advisor.